


The World Ends in '97

by peppermintedspice



Series: The World Ends in '97 [1]
Category: King of Fighters, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Crossover, Gen, joshua's there but he's not named, written late at night whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintedspice/pseuds/peppermintedspice
Summary: After the events of KOF'97, a young man wakes up in the busy Shibuya crossing.
Series: The World Ends in '97 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806196
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	The World Ends in '97

_**Beeeeep-!** _

  
The sound of a crosswalk signal prompts a flurry of movement; all sorts of people scrambling through the street to get where they needed to be. In the midst of the chaos, detected by no one, lay a young man clad in a black school uniform. His eyes snap open as he becomes conscious, sitting up to figure out what was happening.

  
_Where am I...?_

  
He stands up, taking in the view of the iconic Shibuya crossing. Despite seeming to have been laying there for some time, the young man has no recollection of being in the area. Frustrated, he sticks his hands into his pockets and starts surveying the Scramble.

  
"What the-"

  
Besides his phone, there's a small round object in his pocket. He pulls it out and inspects it, the skull pattern on the pin looking oddly familiar. For a moment, he swears he can hear something other than the indistinct chatter of the people around him, but he shrugs it off. Right now, he had places to be and things to figure out. Not even a couple steps later, his phone buzzes, agitating him a little more. 

  
"Ugh, what now?"

  
He flips his phone open and checks the notification that popped into his messages.

  
Reach 104. You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure.  
\- The Reapers

  
Briefly, the young man brushes the message off as some prank, but the name of the group tagging the end gives him the same feeling of familiarity as the pin he just held. Reapers...weird pin...

  
The moment it clicks hits him like lightning- but that might have just been the shock of the timer appearing on his palm.

* * *

Kyo Kusanagi lets out a defiant shout as he delivers the final blow to Orochi, the snake deity crying out in anguish as he is pinned down by Iori Yagami and promptly sealed by Chizuru Kagura. A bright light erupts across the decimated battlefield as the deed is completed; the trio being enveloped in a matter of seconds.

  
"...Looks like something pretty important happened here, huh?"

  
A young, yet arrogant voice rouses the heir from his unconscious state, head seeming to buzz in pain. He's not quite sure where the voice is coming from, but it seems to be acknowledging his presence.

  
"No, just an earthquake." Kyo responds sarcastically. He's not quite sure what to make of the situation.

  
"Oh, there you are!" The voice seems to be much closer now- its owner appearing to be a silver haired teenager not much older than fifteen. He walks over to Kyo and crouches to get a good look at him, a half contented smile on his face.

  
"What do you want kid?" Considering he still seemed to have a slowly subsiding headache, Kyo wasn't in the mood to talk.

  
"It's nothing, just wanted to thank the trio responsible for stopping the apocalypse." The teen replies, smile still present.

  
"...Good for you," Kyo huffs, not wanting to deal with what appeared to be quite the insufferable person.

  
"I mean, it was the least I could do," He says, shrugging. "Besides, the three of you just perished with him anyways- I'd hate to just watch you go without saying anything."

  
"What?!" Kyo bolts up, looking around to see any trace of Iori and Chizuru. When neither of them are anywhere to be seen, he glares at the mystery teenager. "Are you saying I'm dead?"

  
The teen rises up to his full height to look at the Kusanagi heir, and shrugs. "Well, not yet, necessarily. But you are close."

  
Almost as if on instinct, Kyo's hand ignites, and he leans down to return the teen's gaze. "Start talking then."

  
His conversation partner seems unfazed as he calmly puts his hands up. "There's no need to roast me on the spot here. I've just got a proposition for you."

  
"And what is that?" Kyo responds, snuffing out his flames for the time being.

  
"I could revive you if you want," The teen says, smile still present.

  
He scoffs at the offer. "Like it would be that easy. There's a catch, isn't there?"

  
A surprised look briefly crosses the teen's face. "Oh, you catch on quick, don't you? Well, I only have one task for you if you want to return- Play the Reapers' Game. Survive the whole week, and I'll bring you back."

  
Kyo says nothing in response after the teen finishes his explanation, with him taking it as a sign to continue. "Of course, there is an entry fee to pay if you want to participate."

  
The Kusanagi heir frowns hearing the last bit. "An entry fee? You're really going to take money from a dead person?"

  
He shakes his head. "No, we're more interested in other things than that. You are playing for your life after all, so the fee has to be something important to you."

  
The teen glances at the hand that was on fire moments ago. "Your flames would be a good bargaining chip, wouldn't you agree?"

  
After a few moments of more silence, the teen holds his hand out. "So, what do you say?"

  
More moments pass in what feels like an eternity, but Kyo grabs his hand and shakes it. "I'm not planning on staying dead anytime soon."

  
"I'm glad to hear it," The teen says, grinning a little more. "Welcome to the Reapers' Game, Kyo Kusanagi."

* * *

"A whole week in Shibuya..." Kyo mutters to himself, clenching his fist. "Just have to make it to the end, and I'll be-"

  
A shout stops his train of thought and he whips around to look at the source. There's still people wandering the Scramble, but some are running. Even more concerning was the sudden appearance of twisting black shapes in the form of various animal skulls, with several of them grabbing some running people and quickly disappearing. One of them appears to 'look' at Kyo and a chill runs up his spine. Briefly, he has the urge to summon his flames before remembering he didn't have them anymore.

  
"I need to get out of here!" He turns and sprints in the direction of 104, the skeletal form in hot pursuit.

  
It takes a couple evasive maneuvers, but Kyo manages to evade the mystery pursuer. He heaves a sigh of relief...only to bump into somebody in front of him.

  
"God, sor-" His apology screeches to a halt when he realizes who he crashed into. The red hair, the black jacket with the moon emblazoned on the back, and the sharp eyes that glared at him were all too familiar. The words that came out of his mouth? Not too much.

  
"Another Player, huh?" Iori grumbles, noticably irritated. "What do you want?"

  
"What do I want-" Kyo starts with confusion and irritation of his own, "Yagami, it's me! If you're here, that means Kagura's out there somewhere and we need to find her."

  
"Do I know you?"

  
Those four words make Kyo's stomach drop like a rock. Did that mean his entry fee was-

  
"Kusanagi! Yagami!"

  
Without warning, one of Kyo and Iori's hands are grabbed by the Yata heiress. She looks a little less composed than usual, but seeing her fellow Sacred Treasures calms her down. "You two are safe, thank goodness."

  
"Kagura..." Iori mutters, "So you are a Player as well."

  
"Yes, but we don't have time to talk about this right now," Chizuru responds. "I'll make a pact; Let's get to 104 before the Noise-"

  
Almost as if on cue, a black skeletal form pops up close to the trio, separating into several creatures. Just as briefly, a flash of blue seems to connect them before they jump back to avoid the attack. 

  
In response to the ambush, Iori's hands light up with his purple flames. Chizuru nods in approval.  
"They should be able to be damaged now."

  
Kyo wasn't quite sure what she meant- the teen glossed over some aspects of the Game after accepting him- but he knew he had to attack it somehow. He's about to mention that he can't use his flames, but Chizuru was one step ahead. She quickly tosses something at him and he catches it; the item revealing to be a pin with a stylized swipe mark on it.

  
"I hope you can use that Psyche," She states, setting up to strike. "Just hit it!" On the other side, Iori is letting his flames tear into the half-creature half-abstract shaped enemies they were now facing. 

  
"Let's give it a shot," Kyo remarks, slashing at one frog-like Noise. The creature recoils in pain, leading to him amping up the pressure and continuing to hack at it until it burst into a cloud of static.

  
On his left and right, his teammates seemed to deal with the enemies in a much more efficient manner. Chizuru was quickly reflecting and dealing strikes, while Iori just roasted any Noise that even tried to approach him. In a few moments, all the Noise was erased.

  
"That should be all of them," Chizuru states, wiping her brow. "Come on, let's get out of here."

  
Iori side-eyes Kyo as if to say 'We're bringing this guy along?', but decides to follow Chizuru anyways. Kyo, on the other hand, frowns with the reality of Iori not knowing him setting in. Not wanting to be left behind, he also follows after.

  
As the trio approaches the crossing exit closest to their destination, a figure in a red hoodie seems to scrutinize them. They look confused for a moment, but shrug.

  
_Pact confirmed. Wall Clear!_

  
104 wasn't going anywhere, but the trio dashed towards it as if the world was ending. As they reached the building's doors, the timers on their hands vanished.

  
"We...should be safe now." Chizuru pants, trying to catch her breath.

  
Iori says nothing in response, then turns his attention to Kyo. "You didn't answer my question." 

  
"Kyo Kusanagi," He replies, glaring at his rival, "But I bet that doesn't ring any bells for you."

  
The redhead shakes his head, looking frustrated but for some reason being unable to pinpoint why. "Something's missing."

  
"What's going on?" Chizuru asks, noting Iori's behavior.

  
"His entry fee," Kyo responds, "I think his memories of me got wiped."

  
Iori scoffs at the notion. "It would explain why I still have flames, at least. I can't say I have a clue as to why you were important enough to warrant being erased from my memory, Kusanagi."

  
"Well, we're partners now so get used to it." Kyo sighs. He then looks at Chizuru. "What about you? What did they take?"

  
The Yata heiress fidgets for a moment. "I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest idea. Just like Yagami, I'm surprised that my power wasn't taken from me, but I'm not sure why the memory of my entry fee was taken."

  
Kyo groans in response. "Are you kidding me? I'm the only one whose powers got taken?"

  
All he gets are uncertain looks from his partners, leading to him pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Two pseudo-amnesiacs and a fighter unable to battle at his full potential. What a team we've got here!"

  
Chizuru sighs, Iori rolled his eyes, and Kyo continues to be bitter. It's going to be a long week.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're wondering, here's everyone's entry fees:
> 
> Kyo - His flames  
> Iori - His memories of Kyo  
> Chizuru - Her memories of Maki
> 
> This was mostly a spur of the moment thing, so I hope you enjoyed this one shot!
> 
> Update (6/27): This is a series now! Not sure on the number of things I'll write for this, but expect at least one other oneshot :O


End file.
